Three reasons to savour the bitterness this Pesach

Eating maror has always been the worst part of my Seder, and the food that made least sense to me.  Why eat bitter herbs when we are free? In previous years when it was time to eat maror, a reminder that ancient Egyptians embittered the lives of the Israelites with crushing labour, I would always smother it in as much sweet charoset as possible to avoid the horrible taste in my mouth - and prevent my eyes from tearing up on what should be a joyful night.

This year, I have no desire to make the bitter food sweet. There are three reasons for this.

First, for the past month, my family and friends have been living under constant missile attack from Iran. From 3am in the morning to 11pm at night, in the middle of a meal, bus ride, or deep sleep, sirens, booms, bomb shelters. Several times a day. Dozens of Israelis have lost their lives, hundreds have been seriously injured, and thousands are displaced from their homes.

While Iranians very much deserve to be free of their horrific leadership, this war isn’t even close to achieving that goal. It has caused so much suffering and displacement across the Middle East and sadly has no end in sight. This is a cause of great bitterness to me.

Second, last week a dear Palestinian friend and colleague of mine in Jerusalem informed me that a loved one in her family was killed in a brutal act of settler violence in the West Bank. While comforting her as best as I could, I had no answer when she asked if the settler would ever be held accountable for his crimes against her family. This, too, is a cause of great bitterness to me.

Third, from Bondi to Toronto, Detroit to Golders Green, the level of hatred my people are experiencing across the world, based on conspiracy theories that only grow stronger by the day, is staggering. No matter how much money is invested in security, public advocacy and tougher penalties for those who peddle hate, I can’t see the scourge of antisemitism disappearing any time soon. This is a cause of immense bitterness to me.